In the time leading up to Warnaco Group Inc.’s voluntary bankruptcy filing yesterday, one thing’s for certain: Linda Wachner’s creditors did not help her efforts to rescue her struggling lingerie and jeans empire.

As she scrambled against the clock for ways to dig her company out of its financial hole, Wachner, Warnaco’s embattled chief executive, saw her lenders shoot down two viable bids to buy the company, sources close to the situation told The Post.

Just in the last few weeks, Warnaco’s creditors rebuffed an initial proposal by VF Corp., the maker of Lee and Wrangler jeans, to buy the apparel maker for about $1.2 billion in cash, sources said.

The bid by VF came on the heels of a deal proposal by Bain Capital, a well-known Boston-based private equity firm. The Bain proposal, which Wachner backed, was contingent upon an agreement from Warnaco’s lenders to take a discount – about 50 cents on the dollar – on their loans. They would also have gotten equity stakes in the company.

VF Corp.’s so-called “indication of interest” valued most of the company’s debt at roughly 30 to 35 cents on the dollar. The proposal likely would have been part of a pre-packaged bankruptcy.

But VF’s proposal was “dead on arrival,” said one source familiar with the matter. “The banks didn’t even want to open a line of dialogue.”

In the case of Bain, Warnaco’s hopes of a deal were dashed by its lenders, who poured cold water on that proposal, too.

A VF spokeswoman and a Bain Capital spokesman declined comment, citing company policies. Officials at the lender banks either declined comment or did not return calls by presstime.

A Warnaco spokesman declined to comment on the matters.

The rebuffed bids proved to be a devastating blow to Wachner, who built Warnaco into one of the most powerful names in apparel manufacturing and hoped to see it thriving again.

Warnaco, once a Wall Street darling, has struggled for two years from weaker demand for its products and mounting debt obligations.

In April, the New York-based maker of Calvin Klein jeans and Speedo swimwear hired UBS Warburg to restructure the company’s $1.5 billion of debt, after its auditors at Deloitte & Touche LLP expressed doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.

In May, Warnaco received a waiver from its lenders on some financial covenants through June 15, allowing it to sidestep default on payments due May 16.